Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in Great Britain?
Seemingly, it turned out that Britain was quite ripe for the conception of the Industrial Revolution. Over the years, several reasons have been postulated to ascertain the readiness of Great Britain for the industrial revolution. To begin with, the agrarian revolution of the 18th century paved the way for the birth of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. It saw an increased food production that sustained the British populations at an affordable price with the lowest effort applied. This meant that most families could utilize most of their disposable income to buy manufactured products.
Nonetheless, there were increased population margins, which created a ready pool of labor for the upcoming industries and caused mass movements to the urban areas searching for work and fortune. Consequently, most industries grew exponentially thanks to the increase in productivity and continued sustenance. They were thus able to expand and tread the heights of great productivity.
Additionally, Britain had financial institutions such as banks already in place to provide financial support to the brave entrepreneurs to improve their innovations and technologies. According to “Why nations fail” by Acemoglu and Robinson (2012), Great Britain was marred with inclusive institutions that ensured diversity throughout the land and upheld the rule of law’s supremacy. As a result, the participation by the massive populations in economic activities was encouraged; thus, individuals were allowed to make the best out of their skills and talents as opposed to the previous upheaval and carnage brought about by the political struggle at the time. There was, therefore, a healthy environment that sanctioned the development of the industrial revolution in the region. Also, the granting of legally binding patents cultivated a sense of surety and confidence in investors to avail of their resources for developing industries.
Moreover, Britain had a massive supply of mineral resources such as coal and iron, thus, enabled industries to kickstart their productions. The resources also could be transported cheaply throughout the country easily since it was geographically relatively small. Britain’s merchant marine provided safe transportation of goods to foreign markets without any difficulty. This widened the market for the finished products. Ultimately, the colonial empire provided a ready market for manufactured products from the industries. Therefore, most industries developed with the surety of the market for their goods, thus ascertaining the country’s industrial revolution.
Did governments do more to promote the interests of workers or employers, and why?
No, governments played no significant role in promoting the interests of workers and employers. This was because they were unable to do so as they had no infrastructure to facilitate the Industrial Revolution’s developments. As time passed, the governments initiated a laissaz-faire kind of governance where groups were allowed to govern themselves. Governments did not influence the economy. Again, the Tudor and Stuart regulations guided both local trade and foreign trade. After all, the Britain government had minimal land left due to the two previous century’s pandemonium.
Considerably, the effect of governments in other countries, such as Japan and China, was immense. Laws were stipulated to regulate the economy even as infrastructure was massively developed. Therefore, Britain’s government was unique as opposed to other countries like Germany and China. Perhaps this might have been the reason why the industrial revolution made vast strides in Britain.